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South Wales Argus
a day ago
- South Wales Argus
Blackwood burglar stole watch of sentimental value
Intruder Rhys Colyer, aged 33, from Blackwood broke into a house in the Llanbradach area of Caerphilly, prosecutor Matthew Comer told Newport Crown Court. The homeowner was alerted about the burglary on his mobile phone via the Ring doorbell and CCTV cameras he had installed at his property. The complainant was on the last day of his holiday and had just proposed when the break-in occurred. In a victim impact statement he revealed his devastation at losing the priceless watch and St Christopher necklace. They had been passed down to him from his late father and grandfather. 'This has had a catastrophic effect on me,' he said. 'Some of the items were of sentimental value and can never be replaced.' Footage of the break-in was released on social media and Colyer was recognised by his probation officer and a detective. The defendant handed himself in at Blackwood police station. Colyer, of no fixed abode, admitted burglary on March 10 and asked for a burglary and theft of a Ford Focus car to be taken into consideration. He has 15 previous convictions for 39 offences, including nine for dwelling burglaries. Sophie Jones for Colyer said: 'His best mitigation is his guilty plea and he's ashamed of his actions. Alcohol is his demon.' Judge Celia Hughes told Colyer: 'It's clear that this has been very distressing for the victim. 'Items of great sentimental value were lost forever. 'You have a terrible record of convictions as a burglar.' She added: 'You took these items without any thought for anyone but yourself.' The defendant was jailed for 32 months and told he would serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence. He will also have to pay a statutory victim surcharge.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Cork driver fleeing gardaí collided with car after going through stop sign
A motorist sped off from gardaí while going through a stop sign and crashed into another car. When he was eventually arrested weeks later he spat at the member of An Garda Síochána and pulled at his stab vest. Stephen McCarthy of Bay 10, Spring Lane halting site, Cork, pleaded guilty to multiple offences arising out of the driving, drug possession, and his violent resistance of the garda. Sergeant Gearóid Davis said: 'On July 7, Garda Eoghan O'Mahony observed a white Ford Focus driving erratically. 'Gardaí indicated for this vehicle to stop but it failed to do so. 'At the junction of Mount Eden Road and Cathedral Road, Gurranabraher it went through a stop sign at speed and collided with a Toyota Corolla on Cathedral Road. 'This collision happened in full view of Garda O'Mahony. Two males alighted from the Ford Focus and fled. Garda O'Mahony recognised the driver as Stephen McCarthy — who was known to him. 'Stephen McCarthy discarded a white box as he exited the vehicle. He fled and gardaí were unable to locate him on the night. The box contained Alprazolam tablets and a phone registered to the defendant. 'He was arrested on October 10 and taken to Gurranabraher garda station for questioning. It is alleged he threw a cigarette at gardaí and attempted to walk out a door of the station. He had to be restrained and he actively resisted and grabbed Garda O'Mahony by his stab vest, pulled him with force towards him, raising his hand in a clenched fist.' Arising out of that latter confrontation, Stephen McCarthy pleaded guilty to resisting or obstructing the garda. He admitted several offences out of the driving escapade, including dangerous driving, failing to remain at the scene of a collision, and being in possession of drugs. Judge Mary Dorgan imposed several sentences, the longest being six months and some were consecutive to each other at Cork District Court but they will not increase the sentence already being served by the same man which was imposed a month ago. He was sentenced to four and a half years in prison with the last year suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court after he addmitted a number of charges including that on Sunday, September 1 2024, at Murphy's Rock, Ballincollie Rd, Dublin Hill, Cork, he committed arson in that he damaged by fire property, namely doors, windows, blinds, and exterior and interior paint, intending damage or being reckless as to whether it would be damaged.
ITV News
a day ago
- ITV News
Three men jailed for murder in 'brutal' drive-by shooting in Walsall
Three men will spend at least 29 years in jail after a 20-year-old man was shot dead in a revenge killing. Connor Brookes and a friend were targeted in a drive-by shooting while sat in a parked van in Walsall in last July. A stolen black Ford Focus pulled up beside them and six seconds later, a gunman at the back fired a shotgun once at them. Mr Brookes, who was in the driver's seat was killed. His friend in the passenger seat was hit in the left shoulder. Jake Sanbrook, 22, Byron Sellick, 20, and Julian Falconer, 20, have all been senteced to life, with a minimum of 29 years. The trio were said by police to have carried out the attack after their friend Bailey Atkinson was stabbed to death in Walsall in 2023. Mr Brookes' brother was among those convicted of their friend's murder. Police said 15 minutes before Mr Brookes' murder on Well Lane, they had fired towards another car less than two miles away. Officer believe this was also an attempted revenge attack. After the attack, the Focus, driven by Sanbrook, sped off at nearly 50mph. The murder weapon was dumped in a bin bag in Wyrley Lane, Staffordshire. Connor's family said in April, when the men were found guilty: "Connor was an incredibly kind and caring person, someone who was always there for us. "His loss at such a young age is devastating, for all of us who loved him. This has been a heart-breaking journey for our family, and it's a loss we will carry with us forever. This violence has to end before more lives are ruined.' Det Insp Michelle Cordell, from West Midlands Police, said: "Connor's murder has had a devastating impact on all who knew and loved him, especially his family. His friend survived the attack, but I have no doubt that the trauma he experienced that day will live with him for the rest of his life. 'The brutal and cold-hearted actions of this group in broad daylight were intentional, cruel, cowardly and unjustified. We may never know who fired the gun, but the jury's verdicts show that they were acting with a common purpose that day. "Nothing can bring Connor back, but I hope that today's verdicts provide some comfort to both families as they try to heal and rebuild their lives."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former MN State Patrol trooper pleads not guilty in deadly Rochester crash
The Brief A former Minnesota State Patrol trooper pleaded not guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and manslaughter stemming from a deadly crash in May 2024. Shane Roper, 33, was terminated from the patrol after department leaders said his "reckless" actions caused the death of 18-year-old Oliva Flores. A jury trial is tentatively set for early March 2026, with pre-trial motions set to begin in late February. ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - A former State Trooper charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide pleaded not guilty, setting the case up for trial next year. Shane Roper, 33, is accused of causing a crash that resulted in the death of 18-yaer-old Olivia Flores in Rochester when he was allegedly speeding in a Minnesota State Patrol cruiser without its emergency lights activated. Court records show a jury trial is tentatively set to start on March 2, 2026. READ MORE: 'Reckless' actions of former MN trooper decried by agency leaders for fatal crash Big picture view The fatal three-vehicle crash happened near Apache Mall in Rochester, Minnesota, on May 18. Investigators say a Ford Focus was westbound on 12th Street Southwest when it turned south into the mall. The Focus was then struck by a Minnesota State Patrol cruiser that was driven by Roper, which was eastbound on the same street. Flores, of Owatonna, was a passenger in the Ford Focus and was killed in the crash. A Toyota RAV4 then ended up in the ditch after the Ford Focus was pushed into it. A total of six people, including Roper, were injured in the crash. Roper's employment with the Minnesota State Patrol was terminated in September 2024, with agency leaders calling his actions "reckless." READ MORE: MN State Trooper charged in Rochester crash that killed teen no longer employed Dig deeper The personnel file Roper reveals he had faced disciplinary action for four previous crashes before the fatal wreck. The file shows Roper was involved in four crashes between February 2019 and April 2023 before the crash outside Apache Mall in May that killed Flores. Reviewing his behavior before the crash, investigators found several instances where Roper drove at high speeds in just the three hours before he crashed into the vehicle carrying Flores. Roper was suspended for a day in two of the crashes and reprimanded for the other MORE: File shows MN trooper involved in 4 crashes before deadly Rochester wreck Just before the deadly crash in Rochester, investigators said he was driving at an excessive speed on a city street – apparently trying to catch up with a driver who had committed a minor traffic offense. The Source This story uses information from public court records and past FOX 9 reporting.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man located in Watertown charged with failing to register as sex offender in Lewis County
May 29—LOWVILLE — A former Oregon man who recently moved to Lewis County has been charged with failing to register as a sex offender. Benjamin R. Schmult, 60, whose last known address was 7781 Adams Hill Road, Lowville, was charged with the offense Wednesday by Lewis County sheriff's deputies. Deptuies said in a statement that Schmult moved May 2 to the town of New Bremen from Oregon, where he had failed to complete a 10-year parole sentence. He had contacted the New York State Sex Offender Registry, but failed to change his address and failed to register social media accounts, according to deputies. He is registered as a Level 3 sex offender in Oregon, but failed to contact the New York registry to be assigned a level. Deputies said Schmult was unable to be located at the Adams Hill address since May 20 and further investigation revealed he was using aliases such as Robert, Neb and Bryan throughout the area. Lewis County investigators, assisted by the Watertown City Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, located Schmult at the Love's Travel Stop in the town of Pamelia where he was apprehended. Deputies said he had been living in his 2004 Ford Focus station wagon at the travel stop for between three and four weeks. Deputies said further investigation revealed Schmult has an active arrest warrant from Oregon, but the state declined extradition. He was arraigned in New Bremen Town Court and ordered held without bail at the Lewis County Jail.
